Large cross cut sawing. I can't get the hang of it

Hello guys! Im new here, and fairly new to old school logging, so go easy on me, haha.

Me and my brother has started logging as a way to get in better shape. It's all fun and games until the tree is down. When we try to cut it into more manageable sizes the saw gets stuck no matter what we do. I've bought four different saws.

The first one:

Rusty, used and vintage.
We got through the log, but there was nothing recreational about it. Sheer hatred and willpower.

The second one:
Just got stuck. I know that saw buck is terribly under proportioned, lol. I've built my own now, larger and sturdier, but it still gets stuck.

Surely, I thought, there can't be anything wrong with ME so I bought a third used, vintage saw. Same story. Stuck again. All these bad saws, man.

So then I went and bought a brand new one from Thomas Flinn: (not my pic, but the same saw)


And here's the shocker. That brand new one got stuck as well.

By this point I'm starting to realise that the problem might not be the saw but rather the sawyer. Spring came, and we stopped logging because the field we were working in turns into a bog when the temperature rises.

Winter is upon us again, and the coming weekend we're heading back there to make firewood for next year. I want to get back in it with a proper saw. My brother doesn't really care for sawing or about the firewood, so he's just chopping away like a mad man, and that makes it way harder to split the wood afterwards.

Any of you got an idea of what I'm doing wrong? I've never sharpened the teeth, because I dont know how. Do you have to sharpen a brand new saw? Do I have to lubricate it with something? Or do I just have to keep at it until I figure it out?

All the best to all of you!

 

Welcome to FHC!

How about a picture of how you have your logs staged, just before you begin sawing.

Also, next to the "post reply " button, there's an "upload a file" button. Use that to upload pictures from your pc/phone/tablet.

 

Sounds like the saw is getting pinched in the kerf. Which also happens with a chain saw. Maybe jam a wedge or two in there so the saw doesn't get pinched. Or roll the log onto something so the cut opens up instead of pinching?

 

Welcome to FHC!!
Maybe the cutting teeth need re-set wider to cut a wider kerf? Can you post a pic of your cutting edge?

(your first 2 pics aren’t showing up for me)



If there’s any tension on a log while sawing with a chainsaw, we bang a wedge down in it to keep the kerf open, so I agree with Warner on that. My dad used to help my grandfather w a 2 man crosscut saw before Pap bought a Pioneer “power” saw. I’ll ask him if he experienced what you are.

 

Thank you!

Ill post a picture of the edge when I get home from work.

The one on the flimsy saw buck got stuck where it was when I took the picture, but that's one of the old ones. Maybe the settings been busted over the years and it's not completely my fault, haha.

We tried jacking the log up with my car jack to relieve the pressure, but to no avail.



Heres the picture once more. Hope they show up this time

 

Thank you!

We haven't gotten into the habit of staging the logs yet, haha. If we're lucky the tree falls in somewhat the direction we want it to.

I try to prop the log up with smaller logs, using my car jack, to relieve the tension. But the saw still gets stuck.

 

I can't even get the whole blade into the log, so there is nowhere to put the wedges

 

Unless there is some kind of crazy tension on the log, that would make it close up before you are even saw depth into the log, then something is off with the saw teeth IMO.
Any other advice Backwoods Savage ?
Or JB Sawman ?

 

Im kind of hoping there's something wrong with the teeth. I saw this guy struggling with something of the same nature

Someone in that comment section asked if he had sharpened the teeth after unboxing it. Is it common to sharpen a brand new saw?

 

Thank you!

I've decided to put this one
away for a while.

I'll instead be going for the Thomas Flinn

I saw a youtubevideo on how to sharpen these ones and it seemed doable for a novice as myself. Even if its gonna take quite a lot longer than this guy did


Edit: I now realise that those teeth are nothing alike...

 

Talked to dad today. They never had any problems getting down through wood. He said pap always kept the saw very sharp. I'm going to say you need to re-set the teeth to cut a wider kerf, of course I have zero knowledge of these methods...

 

I guess there was a reason they called them “misery whip”.

 

I have a 48” cross cut that I had professionally sharpened. It cuts really well and is fun in moderation. I wouldn’t want to do more than a few cuts before reaching for a chainsaw. It’ll beat carrying a chainsaw over a mile for one straight cut if doing trail maintenance.

Depending on what I’m cutting I do use a bottle jack and/or wedges to keep the saw from getting bound in the kerf.

You should be oiling the blade as you cut, in that respect it’s pretty much like a chainsaw.

If the end is hanging clear and your saw is binding it’s probably the saw that needs maintenance.

If it’s sharp it will pull chips like this.

 

Do any of the cutters flare L/R to make a wider kerf, like a band mill blade?

 

My saw definetly does not make those chips. My pruning saw does tho, but that's the same length as some of the logs we're cutting, so its quite a hassle. What sort of oil do you use?

 

I think I was using WD40. You can also use kerosene or a citrus degreaser. There are a lot of different opinions if you search with google.

 

Having sharpened and “set” teeth on hand saws before, the previous posters are spot on. Find a professional or old timer who knows his stuff and have them do it for you. Also make sure that your saw is for crosscut and not for ripping. A properly set up saw should be a pleasant experience not frustrating. Best of luck !

 

I'm curious if some saws are shipped with no set in "ripping" configuration. The buyer could then set teeth to his preferred soft or hardwood configuration. I have a one man saw with no set that was represented to me as a rip saw. It is sharp as all get out. I tried it across the grain and it would go OK for a bit then begin to bind like the OP said. The teeth were similar to some cross cut saws I have not counting the set.